Sylvanus d



(No Modei.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. S. D. WRIGHT.

UAR FENDER.

No. 560,959. Patented Ma 26, 1896'.

o m V. W

W/TNESSES:

ATTORNEYS.

ANDREW B GRAHAMPNOTOJLITHQWASHINGTON DC (No Model.) 2 Sheets Sheet 2. S.D. WRIGHT.

GAR FENDER.

Patented May 26, 1896 ATTORNEYS.

W/TNESSES 7 i .ilhiWv,

.AIlIllll/l/lf/l/lI/lllllff UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

SYLVANUS D. YVRIGHT, OF NEYV YORK, N. Y.

CAR-FENDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 560,959, dated May 26,1896.

v Application filed April 11, 1895. Serial No. 545,361. (No model.)

To aZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, SYLvANUs DWRIGHT, of New York city, in the countyand State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Oar-Fender, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved car-fenderwhich is comparatively simple and durable in construction,very effectivein operation, and arranged to automatically compensate for theup-anddown motion of the car to holdthe gate at all times in properrelation to the track.

The invention consistsprincipally of a fender-platform mounted to slidevertically and lock normally in an uppermost position, and a gate infront of the said platform and adapted to unlock the same to permit thelatter to drop by its own weight into a position to receive an object inthe path of the car.

The invention further consists of a compensating device of specialconstruction to hold the gate always in proper relation to the trackirrespective of the up-and-down motion of the car.

The invention also consists of certain parts and details andcombinations of the same, as will be fully described hereinafter, andthen pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to' the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improvement as applied. Fig. 2 isa sectional plan view of the improvement. Fig. 3 is an enlargedsectional side elevation of part of the fender-platform and the meansfor looking the same. Fig. 4 is a sectional side elevation of theplatform-stop. Fig. 5 is a sectional side elevation of the improvementas applied on the line 5 5 of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a similar view of thesame with the platform in a lowermost active position. Fig. 7 is asectional end elevation of the same on the line 7 7 of Fig. 5. Fig. 8 isan enlarged sectional side elevation of part of the gate, and Fig. 9 isa sectional side elevation of part of the device for raising theplatform.

The car A, on which the improvement is applied, supports on its truck Aatransverselyextendin g bar A on which are secured a series ofvertically-extending guideways B, in which are fitted to slidevertically the T-irons O, forming part of the platform 0, provided withthe vertically-extending net portion 0*, attachedto and connecting theseveral T- irons O with each other. The front end of the horizontalportion ofthe platform 0 carries a number of stops, each made of anupwardly-extending spring-arm C coiled on a front rod C and adapted toyield rearwardly when an object passes upon the fender-platform and tospring back into their normal position after the object has completelypassed upon the'platform,..so as to prevent the object from againrolling off the platform. The stop shown in Fig. 4 is, however, thepreferred form, and this stop is provided with an arm G pivoted on therod 0 and extending upwardly. A light spring holds the arm normally inthis position and an outward swinging of the arm is prevented by thefront of the pivot end butting on the top of the platform, so that thearm can swing inwardly when an object passes onto the platform, and itsprings back to its normal position after the object has rolled orpassed onto the platform.

The platform 0 is normally held in an uppermost positionthat is, withits horizontal portion a suitable distance above the trackso as to becompletely out of the way of switches, frogs, and other fixtures on thetrack.

In order, to hold the platform 0 in an uppermost position and lock ittherein, I provide a catch D, fulcrumed on the middle guideway 13 andformed at its lower end with a forwardlyextending pin D, adapted to passthrough an opening in the said guideway B to engage a like opening inthe T-iron O, mounted to slide in this guideway. As long as the catch Dis in the position shown in Fig. 5 the gate 0 is held in anuppermost-position; but when a swinging motion is given to the catch, asshown in Fig. 6, the platform 0 is unlocked and by its own weight slidesdownward in the vertical guideways B B to the position shown in Fig. 6.The horizontal part of the platform 0 extends close to the track, andconsequently an object in the path of the car is readily picked up bythe platform. At this time the catch D, by moving back to its normalposition, engages a second opening in the upper end of the middle T-ironC to lock the platform in a lowermost position, as indicated in Fig. 3.

The catch D is pivotally connected by a link E with an arm F, projectingupwardly from a shaft F forming part of a gate F, arranged in front ofthe platform C and preferably at the front end of the platform for thecar A. The shaft F is journaled in suitable bearings A attached to theunder side of the carplatform, and the outer ends of this shaft F arebent downward to form guide rods F on which are fitted to slidevertically the sleeves F projecting upwardly from a transverse bar Fforming the lower part or portion of the gate F. New in order to holdthe rod F and its sleeves F in position I provide one or two chains G,which are attached to the bar F and extend upwardly to pass over pulleysG, journaled on the shaft F as is plainly shown in the drawings. Theinner ends of the chains G are connected by rearwardly-extending links Gwith a bell-crank lever II, fulcrumed in suitable bearings A, attachedto the under side of the carplatform, directly above the guideways B, asplainly shown in the drawings.

The bell-crank lever II is connected at its horizontal arm by a link Iwith the middle guideway B for the platform 0, so that when thecar-platform A swings upward at the front end a pull is exerted by thelink I on the bell-crank lever II as the fulcrum of the latter movesupward with the car-platform and because the lower end of the link I isstationary on the guideway B',supported from the truck A, which latterretains its relation to. the track at all times. This swinging motion ofthe bell-crank lever II causes a forward movement of the links G and adownward movement of the chains G, so that the rod F and the sleeves Fmove downward at the time the car-platform A moves upward with the shaftF and the guide-rods F The proportion of the several parts described issuch that the rod F retains its position relative to the track at thetime the platform of the car moves upward. I11 ease the car A is loadedat the front end and moves downward nearer to the track, then a reversemotion of the parts described takes place, as the bell-crank lever II isthen swung in an inverse direction to the action of the link I, andconsequently a pull is exerted rearwardly on the links G and chains G todraw the rod F with its sleeves F upward on the guiderods F in the sameproportion as the forward end of the car-platform moves downward. Thusby the arrangement described the gate F always retains a proper positionrelative to the track, irrespective of the up-and-down mo.- tion of thecar, so that an object in the path of the car is not liable to passunder the gate without actuating the latter in a rearward di rection, asshown in Fig. 6, to actuate the catch D, so as to trip the gate F, aspreviously explained. \Vhen the carhas come to astandstill and theobject struck is removed from the platform C, the latter is again liftedinto an uppermost position and locked therein by the catch D.

I11 order to prevent the sleeves F from accidentally moving upward onthe rods F when a round object, for instance, strikes the rod F, Iprovide the said rods F on the rear, with teeth F, adapted to be engagedby a lug F 011 the sleeves F (see Fig. 8,) so that a slight rearwardmovement of the rod F will throw the lug into engagement with one of theteeth and prevent the rod F and its sleeves from moving upward insteadof rearward to trip the platform. The lug F is normally out ofengagement with the teeth F, owing to the forward pull of the chains G.

Now in order to conveniently raise the said platform 0, I provide themiddle T- irons C with a lug C, (see Figs. 7 and 5),) in which is fittedto slide a bolt J, formed at its lower and upper ends with heads J 2 JThe upper head J 3 is engaged by the inner end of a lever K, extendingtransversely and pivoted at or near its middle at K in a bracket securedto the under side of the car. The outer end of the lever K is formedwith a handle under the control of the operator. Now when the gate F isin an uppermost position, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 5, the lower headJ 2 of the bolt J is a suitable distance below the lug C so that whenthe gate F is tripped by the catch D, as previously explained, and shownin Fig. 6, then the platform. 0 slides downward without being hinderedby the belt .I, as the lug C does not come in contact with the head Juntil the platform is in its lowermost position and locked in place bythe catch D.

The form of the horizontal part of the platform C is preferably thatshown in Fi 1 and 2-that is, its widest part at the rear, so as toproject somewhat beyond the track-rails, while the front portion of thesaid platform. is narrower and is adapted to rest on the track-railswhen the platform is in a lowermost position.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent- 1. A car-fender, comprisingvertically-disposed guideways attached to the car-truck a platformhaving vertical T-irons fitted to slide in the said guideways, a catchpivoted on one of the guideways, and adapted to engage one of the saidT- irons and lock the platform in an uppermost position, and a swinginggate in front of the platform and connected with the said catch, tocause the latter to disengage the platform at the time the gate is swungrearward by an object striking it, substantially as shown and described.

2. A car-fender, provided with a gate comprising downwardly-extendingguide-rods, a transverse rod having sleeves fitted to slide in the saidguide-rods, a chain connected with the said transverse rod, a bell-cranklever vice to engage and hold the same in an elevated position, meansfor releasing said looking device, whereby the fender is permitted tofall, a bolt having sliding engagement with said fender and having ahead adapted when the bolt is moved vertically to engage and move thesaid platform to its elevated position, and a lever connected to andadapted to operate said bolt, substantially as set forth.

, SYLVANUS D. WVRIGHT. Vitnesses:

THEo. G. HOSTER, JNo. M. BITTER.

